Setting Sun
by Noelle Bartlett
Summary: For Natalia D'Angelo, the hunt is the only thing she knows. She travels the world with only one goal in mind: ridding it of vampires. But then she meets a shifter clan in Washington, with abilities like hers, and her entire life is turned upside down.
1. Chapter 1

Hunting

It had been a while since my last hunt. I wished I could remember when my last kill had been. A month ago? Two? But I was never good at keeping track of time. In fact, when I thought about it, it wasn't a big deal anyway. I had a long life to live and only one thing to do with it. Hunt.

I vaguely recalled my last extermination. There had been two, making it much harder to destroy them. I didn't really mind that, however. I was always up for a challenge. Besides, before that fateful meeting, I'd actually begun to feel bored of the hunt. That was definitely a feeling I never thought I would have. The hunt was my life, my soul. It was the only reason I breathed, the only reason I existed. Luckily for me, I had found my enemies' scents before my breaking point. I'd tracked them down before they could hurt anyone, before they even had a chance to plot their next slaying.

I can't say they were easy to kill, but I can say that it was thrilling. The challenge made me all the more excited. They'd kept me thoroughly stimulated through the entire encounter, and even after I was finished with them. I'd decided to take a walk around the town I had just saved. It always felt good to seep people going on with their normal lives, knowing that you alone protected them from what could have been a giant massacre. It helped me remember I had a responsibility to them, being what I was.

About a month had passed, or so my calculations told me. I had been traveling through Canada at the time, but I now found myself back in the States, lingering somewhere in Washington.

I walked through a silent forest, following a small set of footprints in the muddy floor. Great, I thought, the thing's careless. It was apparent that the trails were left by a newborn. Most vampires were cautious enough to keep their feet from making marks in the forests that humans hiked through. I looked past a mass of tree trunks at a wide, man-made path weaving through the thick brush. And so close to a human trail?

I covered the footprints with my bare feet as I went along, despair quickly rushing over me. This was obviously going to be easy. I had been hoping for another challenge, something to keep me going. Lately I had been wondering about all my past decisions I had made. I was eager to prove that the hunt really was my life now, that it was all that mattered, all that could matter. There was no doubt a satisfying hunt would lift my spirits. However, I had come across a strong scent and found my way here, where there was no challenge at all.

_Regardless, you'll be saving lives._

That was the only thought that kept me following the footprints. I sniffed calmly at the air, noting that the scent was slowly but steadily growing stronger. The smell was sweet, sickeningly so. It was like a mixture of all the wrong sugars and spices. I felt the urge to gag, but I moved on. The powerful odor meant I was close. I let my eyes shift away from the footprints. I didn't need the visual anymore. All I needed to rely on was the smell.

I had walked a mile or so when a new scent appeared. It was a plain, bland aroma. It wasn't something I wanted to kill. It wasn't an animal that I would want to eat. Anxiety shot through me. I sniffed again, and the smell grew stronger. The blandness slipped away, replaced by an aroma of fear and desperation. This was something I needed to protect.

I quickened my pace, following both of the scents. I rarely had to kill a vampire while it was far into the process of hunting. I usually tracked them down before they approached their prey, or before they even planned the feasting. I inhaled again to assure myself that the human was still alive. Fresh panic flowed into my nostrils. Yes, I still had time.

The scents grew stronger by the second; soon I knew I was no more than half a mile from where they must have been standing. The vampire's scent was starting to burn my nose, but I was accustomed to the blaze. I ran fast but kept my footwork quiet and light. The element of surprise was always good to have on your side.

I stopped as soon as the sweetness in my nostrils burned almost unbearably. I was close enough now. The human's scent was barely noticeable under the stench of the vampire. Nonetheless, I could sense the terror bubbling inside of it.

"W-Who are you?" The quiet, shaky voice broke the dead silence of the forest. An adolescent boy, I realized, probably my age. Of course the newborn would go for easy prey. It wouldn't want to spend unnecessary minutes of thirst playing with a willful adult. It would prefer an easier kill.

"Don't be so scared. I'm just a traveler you've happened to come across while hiking. Of course, you might have met me at the wrong time. I'm a little bit thirsty." The female vampire's voice was smooth and alluring. It disgusted me.

"What d-do you want?" the boy asked, fear still flowing through every inch of his body. He didn't seem to be buying into the vampire's 'innocent traveler' routine. "I have water. In my pack. You can have it, if you want."

"Ah, but you see, I don't really drink water. I prefer something of richer taste."

I frowned, confused by this strange behavior. Newborns were full to the brim with bloodlust and intense thirst. Not many had the restraint, or even the desire, to taunt their prey. I needed to get a closer look. I stepped noiselessly toward the voices and caught sight of the vampire. Her long, wavy brown hair ran down across her terrifyingly beautiful pale face. She seemed to be in her early twenties, but the way she gazed at her victim, I knew she had to be a newborn; therefore she was truly in her twenties. She wore a plaid button-up shirt, blue jeans, and tennis shoes. I hated vampires for wearing normal clothes; as if they could fool anyone! This newborn's act was obviously a sham. No one could miss her eyes: a bright red hue that made me want to vomit.

"I only have water," the boy murmured. He was, like I had assumed, in his mid-teens. He had short, black hair and copper skin. His dark brown eyes seemed to scream out in horror. His mouth wasn't able to.

"Oh, well, maybe we can figure out a different way of giving me what I want," the vampire said, taking a step toward him. She hadn't pounced, and this made me nervous. Maybe this newborn was more trained than I had thought.

"Please, don't," the boy whispered, barely audible.

"But it won't be any trouble," she replied, taking yet another step. "It will be as quick as possible. I promise.

"No."

The newborn smiled, moving even closer. "Don't be worried. The pain only lasts for a moment."

I'd had enough. I flew out of the cover of the trees and was standing in front of the boy in less than a second. "I believe he said, 'no.'"

The vampire started, shocked by my sudden appearance. I could smell relief flow through the boy, but then fear returned. Was I someone he should be afraid of as well? I didn't judge him; I could easily understand his uncertainty. You don't normally see a barefoot girl with dirty clothes and mangy hair wandering through the forest.

Well, no matter how unsure he felt now, he would probably end up being terrified of me after he saw what I was.

The newborn smirked at me. "Well, what do we have here?" she laughed. "And I thought the rotten smell was coming from a dead animal."

"You don't smell too good either, leech," I retorted.

She sighed, as if disappointed. "I see this is no longer a quick matter. Let me warn you that if you don't step away from my food in a few seconds, your death will be far from painless."

I chuckled at her remark. "And let me warn you that if you don't back away now, your death will be far from quick." And I began to undress. I sensed the confusion of the boy and the anger of the female vampire. That only made me speed up the process. These were the only pair of clothes I had left. I wasn't planning on tearing through them anytime soon.

The vampire leaned into a defensive crouch, snarling ferociously at me. The boy let out a cry of surprise, but I wasn't fazed. I squatted once my clothes were lying a few feet away from me. With lightning speed, the vampire lunged at me. And at the same moment, the shaking began.

I leaped toward the newborn, a satisfied smirk on my face as I felt the explosion run through my whole body. Finally I was in my own element. Finally I had gotten out of the shell of a human body.

My transformation had caught the vampire off guard, so I was able to push her back, away from the boy. I laughed at the female's fearful expression, but to her, it probably sounded more like a hiss. I stretched my legs smugly and stalked over to where she was sitting in shock.

"What…?" the vampire murmured.

_What? Afraid of a wildcat?_

The high I had felt during her initial amazement was slowly slipping away. I had to kill her eventually; might as well put the boy out of his misery. I felt my tail swishing around wildly behind me. At least someone was still having fun. I'd expected more of a fight from the vampire, but as I prowled over to her, she just looked up at me incredulously.

I finally let a snarl escape my mouth and took a paw to her throat. I shivered when my warm body made contact with her cold, stone one. It was a foolish reaction. It was a distraction.

The vampire grabbed for my paw and squeezed it so tightly I felt the bones immediately crack. I cried out in pain and jumped away from her. The newborn sat up quickly, her eyes crazed. She leaped at me again, this time with actual force. I felt myself hurtling toward the forest floor.

I rolled on top of her, scratching at her chest with my claws. I growled viciously and snapped at her face, but she moved out the way and pushed me over. The rolling and biting and snarling continued for longer than I would have liked. But I would have gladly accepted an extension in replace of what happened after. Her sharp, venomous teeth plunged deep into my arm. I roared out in agony, the pain already beginning to spread through my entire body.

It was unimaginable pain: a fire burning through my skin, my bones, my core. My knees were weak; my mind was hazy. I felt the urge to lay back and accept defeat; anything to escape this unbearable torture. But no, I wouldn't let the boy get hurt. I had been bitten by a vampire many times before. If I could deal with the pain then, I could deal with it now.

The vampire had expected me to succumb to her after her bite. She wasn't prepared when I rolled onto her, took a paw to her throat, and made a brutal swipe that took her head clean off. It rolled satisfyingly away from her body. I lifted myself off the vampire and begin tearing it apart. This was the first step to guaranteeing she wouldn't come back. After it was in pieces, I limped toward my clothes, taking deep, calming breaths along the way. I slowly shifted back into my human form and pulled a lighter out of my jeans' pocket. I stepped back to the torn vampire, flicked the switch, and watched the fire dance down and light the pieces.

I turned to look at the boy, who stood a few feet away from me with a terrified look on his face. I tried to smile at him, but the effort triggered the pain again. My knees buckled and I toppled to the floor.

Surprisingly, the boy instantly ran to my side. "Are you… Are you okay?" he asked nervously, but also fearfully. He gazed around the forest.

His question made the pain intensify. I winced as my arm began to burn with inconceivable heat. Then my left side. Then my right. And then, my heart. I sucked in the scream agonizingly. I knew that it would sound like a roar to the boy, and I didn't want to frighten him anymore than he already was.

Wait, why was I thinking about him? My whole body was on fire! Why should I give a damn what he thought?

_Breathe. Keep your head clear._

I nodded and inhaled deeply. I had to deal with the pain. I couldn't scare the boy. I was so focused on breathing and containing the pain that I barely noticed the boy stiffen and inch closer to me. The anguish had been too strong for me to notice any scent. But the odd movements of the boy made me realize something was wrong. Someone was here. More vampires? I didn't think I'd be able to fight anymore off. Even with my healing ability, the pain wouldn't subside for at least another twenty minutes.

But when I looked into the boy's terrified eyes, I decided to fight. No matter what the outcome would be, I would protect him to my last breath. Because that was my purpose. The reason I existed.

The change came over me, and I felt my skin break, replaced with thick fur. I took a shaky breath, pushed myself up, and slowly twisted around to face a shocking creature. At first, I thought it was a bear. But I looked closer and saw that it was in actuality an enormous wolf, much larger than any normal wolf was supposed to grow. I took a deep breath, letting the unfamiliar scent flow into me. Definitely not like anything I'd ever come across. Its fur was a russet brown, its eyes a deep black. It took a step toward us, and then paused, allowing its followers to rush to its side. One by one, the other bulky wolves came into view. A thick chocolate one, a dark spotted one, a sand-colored one, and a light gray one that seemed to be smaller than the rest, but still abnormally large.

I took deep breaths, sucking up the pain and their aromas. They smelled strange, definitely not like regular animals. No, they were something else. But were they dangerous? The large wolves just stared at us now, making no sudden movements. They all seemed to be watching me rather than the boy. Did they know I wasn't a normal wildcat? Well, I certainly was much too large to be an ordinary wildcat. But they were unusually big in size as well. Were they… like me?

The russet brown one took another step toward us. I felt the boy freeze at my side and dig his hand into my back. The wolf cocked his head at this in a strange, human sort of gesture. He took another small step, only this time his eyes were on the burning vampire corpse.

"Hey!" the boy cried, pressing himself against me. "Tell it not to come closer!"

What, did he expect me to be able to speak to them? I just saved his life from a vicious vampire, and now he wanted me to communicate with wolves? I was a vampire slayer, not a dog whisperer. I cringed as I felt a sharp pain tug at my heart. I can deal with it, I thought, taking another deep breath.

The wolves behind the russet brown one shifted around anxiously. The smaller gray wolf took a step in our direction. I hissed at it forcefully, but it sounded more like a cry of pain than a threat.

"Wait! You should change back!" the boy cried out. "They probably think you're a threat. If you change back they'll leave us alone!"

Was he a moron? These weren't normal wolves! And what did he know about wolves anyway? If he was such an expert, he should be getting them to back off, not throwing crazy ideas at me. And changing into my human form was at the top of the crazy list. I was strongest in my wildcat form. We had more of a chance to fight them off if I stayed strong. But as the idea whirled in my head, I realized it was the only thing I could do. With the fire burning in my chest, I wouldn't be able to take them on no matter what form I was in. If these were just normal, slightly overgrown wolves, then maybe they'd be freaked out and leave. But if these were… different… Well, we'd just have to wait and find out.

I willed myself to relax and felt myself slowly begin to shrink. Soon enough, I was lying on the floor, yet again naked and wounded, waiting for their reactions. The russet brown wolf took a step back, as did the gray one. All of the wolves seemed to freeze.

"They're not normal wolves," I murmured immediately. "They have no intention of leaving us alone." The boy looked at me nervously, hearing the strain in my voice. But it was true. I could see from the looks in their eyes that there was nothing normal about them.

That much I had expected. But I had not expected one of the wolves to step forward. The wolf with the sandy fur pushed himself past the russet brown one and, ignoring the other wolf's growl, made its way over to me. A hiss escaped my mouth as I glared at the wolf. I pulled myself closer to the boy and tried to push myself up. If it wanted to kill me, I wouldn't go without a fight.

However, the wolf only did something even more unpredictable. It stood completely still for one brief moment, and then morphed into a man.

At least, at first it looked like a man. A very naked man. He was tall, probably a little over six feet. His copper-toned body was slim but muscular, almost threatening. Too bad for him, I wasn't the type of person to be threatened. Though he appeared older, I could make out a teenage resemblance in him. No, he wasn't a man. He couldn't have been. He took a careful step toward me, his eyes wide with concern.

Concern? I didn't even know who he was! Why was he looking at me like I'd known him all my life? Like I was a friend in need? This wolf-boy was freaking me out.

"Please, don't be scared. I'd like to help," he whispered. His voice was soft and sincere, and definitely young. He took another step toward me, now only a few footsteps away. I suddenly felt extremely awkward and exposed. I looked around for my clothes. Where had I put them a few minutes ago? And where were his clothes?

Well, this was a stupid question. If he was like me, and he was, I was positive, he would have taken his clothes off before morphing to prevent from ripping through them.

"Is it all right if I check you?" he asked, anxiety slipping through his somewhat controlled voice.

I nodded, still lying on the floor. I felt stupid and helpless. I tried to sit up, but the pain in my heart tugged at me fiercely, and I let out an involuntary moan. The wolf-boy rushed toward me, knelt on the forest floor, and put his arm around my back to catch me from falling to the floor. Great reflexes, I noted, like me.

"Where does it hurt?"

I stared into his caring eyes and muttered, "Everywhere." I grudgingly twisted my arm to show him the vampire bite.

He stared at it, his eyes widening. "Do you heal, like us?" he asked urgently.

"I don't know how you heal, but I heal… pretty fast," I whispered, taking deep breaths.

"How long does it usually take for the pain to stop?"

"T-Twenty minutes. Thirty," I choked out. I forced myself to look away from the wolf-boy. The other wolves were all staring anxiously at us, and then at the russet brown wolf, who I was now positive was the pack leader. It glared at the wolf-boy with furious eyes.

"S-Seth?" I heard the human boy murmur.

The wolf-boy turned his head to the human. "What are you still doing here? Go home, Mark. And if I were you, I'd stop being an idiot and refrain from coming out here in the woods alone," he growled.

The human boy named Mark just stood there, staring.

"Well, what are you waiting for? The vampire's dead," Seth said with annoyance.

Mark stumbled back a few steps, turned around, and raced off into the dark forest. Seth turned back to me, lifting me up to sit me down. The pain had lightened, so I could actually move without screaming in agony.

I quickly pulled my arms to my chest, covering myself. I was used to being naked, but not next to another naked person in close proximity.

Seth took a quick look into my eyes, and then got up and walked over to my heap of clothing a few feet away. I watched him walk, my eyes involuntarily drifting down his body. I caught myself and brought my gaze up as he turned back toward me. An ashamed blush crept up my neck as he walked to me, his eyes never leaving mine. He brought my clothes over to me and laid them by my side. As he approached me, I noticed a long rope tied to his ankle that I hadn't seen before. Tied to the rope was a pair of shorts. Boys had it easy. They didn't have to carry around anything else.

"Will you be able to dress yourself, or do you need me to help?" he asked.

I just shook my head and reached out for my shirt.

For the first time since he'd arrived, he stepped away from me and looked over at the wolf pack. One by one, the wolves morphed into bare humans, their livid gazes all set on him. There was only one female in the group; it had been the smaller gray wolf. The pack leader was still the biggest, most likely six foot ten.

"What is the matter with you?" the pack leader snarled, taking an angry stride over to Seth. I noted that he had an ankle rope too, as did the rest of the pack.

"She was hurt; I needed to make sure she would make it!" Seth cried in his defense.

"You couldn't have waited till the kid was gone?" the wolf-girl yelled.

"I panicked, okay? She was just lying there! Didn't you see the pain in her eyes?"

"That doesn't give you an excuse to just go morphing in front of people! Especially people you know! Imagine what that kid's going to say to everyone!" the pack leader barked.

"I thought it was kind of funny," another wolf-boy stated. "Did you see the look on his face when you changed?"

"Quil!" the pack leader roared.

"Sorry! Look, I'll go talk to the kid. I have a pretty good idea on how to make him keep his mouth shut," Quil laughed. He waited until the pack leader nodded reluctantly, and then raced off into the forest at an immense speed.

They're fast, like me, I thought. But they weren't as fast. I could easily outrun them. I pulled my jeans on quickly.

The pack leader ran his fingers through his black, glossy hair. "Embry, you need to go talk to Sam and the Cullens. Let them know we just found another shifter."

The last wolf-boy nodded to him and ran in the opposite direction of Quil. Wait, there were more of them?

The head honcho finally turned to face me, a look of prudence in his eyes. "Who are you?"

I just stared at him. What, did he think I was just going to give myself away? The hell I was going to tell him who I was!

The pack leader simply sighed and then turned to Seth. "Seeing as she's not being cooperative, we'll have to take her back to the rez. We'll question her there."

Question me? What, was I under arrest or something? I began to stand up. The pain was manageable now. It would disappear completely in about ten minutes. Seth stepped over to me, but slowly. Cautiously.

"We have to take you back to where we live. You see, we've never met another shape shifter outside our packs. We need to ask you a few things."

"Am I supposed to agree to this?" I asked dryly.

"Either way, you're going to end up on the rez, being interrogated," the female stated.

I turned to glare at her. If I was forced to stay long, I would definitely see to make her as miserable as possible.

"Come on, Embry's probably near Sam by now," the pack leader said, turning to the wolf-girl. "We'll have to head back in human form. Hold her, would you?" He reached for the rope at his ankle and began to put on his shorts.

The female slid into shorts and a t-shirt, both of which had been tied to her ankle. She smiled and ambled over to my side. "Come on, kitty," she chuckled, grabbing my left hand. I squealed in pain, and she immediately drew back. Seth, who was now wearing his shorts, pushed past her and grabbed my arm. This made me wince. His grip was hard; it hurt a little. He stared at my crushed hand intently.

"Her hand is broken," he growled, staring back at the female.

"Well, I didn't know. No reason to get pissed at me," she replied.

"We'll work on it when we get back to the reservation," Seth said to me, letting go of my arm and walking to my other side. "I'll hold her." He grabbed my good hand with the same hard grip and pulled me forward.

We began to quickly jog through the woods. The pack leader always kept a short distance ahead of us. The female stared at me skeptically every few minutes, but didn't say a word. Seth's grip seemed to tighten even more on my hand; it felt like he'd break it soon if he didn't loosen up.

"Um, do you mind relaxing a bit?" I asked him. "You're crushing my hand."

"Sorry," he said, loosening his grip. "I'm a little keyed up. I didn't think I was squeezing that hard."

"Well, that's another difference," I said aloud.

"What?"

"Well, for one, you guys change into wolves. I change into a wildcat. And you seem to be a little stronger than me. Harder, too," I explicated, squeezing his rough hand.

"But there must be some advantage you have that we don't. None of us could take out a vampire alone that quickly."

I thought about my observation of Quil earlier. "Well, you guys are kind of slow."

The wolf-girl looked up at this, staring at me.

"Hmm. Can you outrun a vamp?" Seth asked.

I laughed. "Please, I could easily spin circles around them."

The wolf-girl snickered at this. "Someone's cocky."

I ignored her. "Well, from what you said, we both heal. That's at least one thing in common."

Seth nodded. "And we're both warm. You're about the same temperature as me," he stated, tracing a circle in my hand with his thumb.

It was then that I realized, with a lurch in my stomach, that this was the first time I'd held hands with a boy. Not that I hadn't got around; in the beginning, I'd had my fair share of flings. But I'd never held hands with anyone until now. For some reason, I wasn't uncomfortable.

"And we both hunt vampires," I continued. "That's what you were doing, right? When you came for us, it was to protect him?"

Seth slowly nodded, but there was a strange look in his eyes, as if he wasn't sure that was the correct answer. I would be sure to ask him later. "So, you're taking me to where you live. Does that mean you only protect this area?"

"Yeah. We've lived on the reservation all our lives. It's the one place we were made to defend. It's supposed to be a safe family area, but for some reason, a lot of _things _are drawn here."

I nodded as we walked. I kept my eyes on my bare feet, afraid that he would be staring at me strangely again. I got a weird vibe from him. Not a bad vibe, but an odd one.

"So, where are you from?"

I thought for a while before I answered. "I… travel a lot. I'm from everywhere, really."

He looked at me curiously. "How old are you?"

Uh oh. I attempted to calculate, but it was no use. "Uh… What's today's date?"

"September tenth."

"Of what year?" I asked. God, this was humiliating.

"Two thousand and seven," he replied. He didn't sound like he though I was a complete idiot.

"Well, I turned sixteen in July," I said.

He nodded, abruptly stopping. I hadn't noticed we'd reached the ending of the forest. I stared up into the open, star-filled sky. I hadn't even realized how late it was. The wolf-people were scanning the area in front of them. Seth had loosened his grip almost completely.

I was tempted to just run. The pain was hardly noticeable now. I could easily take off and never be seen again. But I knew deep inside, I wanted to stay. I had finally found people like me, cursed to the life I had to live. I wasn't the only one with the burden of protecting all of human kind. There were others.

The pack leader led the way across a parking lot and down a narrow street. All the while, Seth was holding my hand. I didn't mind it too much, except I felt like a pet. Part of me wanted to throw his hand away and say I could walk by myself, but I didn't want to offend him _or _the pack leader. He seemed mad enough already.

"Aren't you a little young to be traveling alone?" Seth asked as we walked down a thin sidewalk, combing through his short, black hair with his fingers.

"Well, I'm not like every average teenager. And besides, I had to leave, go off on my own. Things would have gotten too difficult."

"How?"

I stared at Seth guardedly. "That's kind of personal. And either way, I think we should save a few questions for my interrogation."

"Sorry," he mumbled, looking away from me. "But one more, please."

I sighed. "Shoot."

"What's your name?"

Well, simple enough. "Natalia." My name felt strange on my tongue. I hadn't introduced myself to anyone in years.

Seth glanced back at me. "Natalia," he said, smiling. It sounded weird, having someone say my name. But I liked it.

We crossed the street and came across a long line of widely spread houses. We walked past a few homes and finally came to a stop at the last one. It was a very small, wooden house with little windows and chipping red paint.

"Home sweet home," the pack leader said, walking onto the driveway.

"Shouldn't this go on at Sam and Emily's place?" the wolf-girl asked.

The pack leader had an irritated look in his eyes. "No. My pack found her; we question her on my land. Besides, Emily has Claire over there. We shouldn't bring over any trouble."

Seth pulled me along into the house. "I still don't understand why they didn't go to the party. Nothing would have happened."

"Well, some of us just don't enjoy their company, Seth," the female stated. "Not _too _difficult to understand."

"Yeah it is," he muttered under his breath, so only I had heard what he'd said.

They led me into a tiny, square living room. A middle-aged man who resembled a much older version of the pack leader looked up from a wheelchair. He placed a book he'd been reading on a small table next to him and then wheeled over to us. "Did you catch it in time?" he asked in a husky voice. He hadn't caught a glimpse of me yet.

"Actually, Dad, someone beat us to her," the pack leader said, moving out of the way to reveal me.

The man looked at me with first surprise, and then interest. "Well, who do we have here?"

"Another shifter," the wolf-girl said, walking past the man and into the next room. The kitchen, I assumed.

The man's eyes shot open and his stare hardened. "Another shifter?" he repeated.

Seth closed and locked the door behind me. He released his grip of my hand and walked past the man to a nearby couch. The pack leader now stood next to his father, giving me the same hard stare.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm no good at introductions," the man said, holding out his hand. "I guess I'll just say hello, I'm Billy Black."

Okay, this man's was way too comfortable. I awkwardly took his hand and shook it. "Natalia Rossi-Smith," I replied, pushing my full name out of me. He'd suddenly made me feel the need to explain myself. Was it because of his intimidating gaze? Wait, since when did I start feeling intimidated?

"Well, this is something. Another shape shifter. I thought we were the only ones," Billy Black told me.

"Same here," I responded.

"She's different, though, Dad," the pack leader said. "I think we need to question her. Find out what we can."

Billy Black nodded. "I agree, Jacob," he said, looking to his son. He quickly returned his gaze to me. "Of course, this is an invitation. If you're feeling uncomfortable at all, you can leave."

I looked at Jacob and Seth's reactions to this statement and held in a smirk. They'd let me leave? Yeah right. Well, it didn't really matter anyway. They wanted to find out more about me, and I wanted to find out more about them. A win-win situation. And of course, even if they thought otherwise, I could leave whenever I wanted.

I shook my head.

"Well, then, we'll wait for both of the packs to arrive," Billy Black said, wheeling himself back to where he had been sitting before. "Take her to get something to eat, Jake."

Jacob Black turned and walked over to the room the female had disappeared to. I followed silently. The kitchen was a little smaller than the living room. A round table was set in a corner. The female was seated there, a large sandwich in her hands, and she looked up at us as we entered.

"Geez, Leah! Don't eat everything!" Jacob yelled.

"Relax, it's just a sandwich," she replied, taking a giant bite.

"It's a huge sandwich," he said under his breath, ambling over to the fridge. He opened it and took out a can of soda. He turned around and pushed past me, taking a seat at the table. "Take whatever you want," he told me, snapping open his drink.

I looked into the fridge with hungry eyes. It had been years since I'd eaten a typical meal. I quickly opened the freezer side, searching for something I had eaten all of the time when… I was normal.

I smiled successfully when I spotted the box of waffles sitting on the top shelf. I pulled it out and set it on a counter. I took out two waffles and looked along the counter until I found the toaster. Drop them in and shove down the slot; that was how it worked, right? I carefully placed them in and pressed down the slot. The insides began to glow bright red, and I grinned happily at my good memory. I quickly put the box back in the freezer and returned to the counter.

"Waffles?" the wolf-girl, Leah, asked.

I felt my cheeks redden. "I, uh… haven't had them in a while," I murmured.

Leah raised her eyebrow slightly, looked me up and down – inch by filthy inch – with a curious gaze, and then nodded as if she understood. She turned away from me indifferently and took another bite of her sandwich.

I heard footsteps and turned to see Seth walk into the room. He ambled over to the counter and opened a cupboard. He took out a paper plate and placed it in front of the toaster.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

He nodded, staring strangely into my eyes. What was his deal?

Jacob had been watching him this whole time. He suddenly choked on his soda, spitting everything onto the table. He wiped his mouth with wide eyes and then turned to Leah. She looked at him with a confused look on her face and then turned to Seth.

"You okay, Jake?" Seth asked.

Jacob just nodded and then stood up. He hurried out of the kitchen without another glance.

"Jerk, can't clean up after he spits all over the table," Leah muttered. Seth reached into the same cupboard and threw her a roll of paper towels. She cleaned up the soda and then tossed the dirty paper towels into a nearby trashcan.

There was a sudden loud knock on the door in the other room. I felt a shiver go down my spin. They were here already?

Leah stood up and left the kitchen. I looked up at Seth, who was still staring at me. "Should I…?"

"No, you can eat first. They'll probably want to talk about what happened before they speak with you anyway," he explained.

Speak with me? More like interrogate me. I heard the toaster pop, but Seth was already taking the waffles out for me. He opened up another cupboard and took out a bottle of syrup. He placed my food on the table and moved out a chair for me. This boy was extremely strange.

I sat down and poured syrup onto my plate. I was about to ask where the silverware was, but he had already brought a fork to the table. I thanked him awkwardly, cutting off a piece of my waffle. I stiffened as I smelled new scents creep into the house. How many shifters lived here? I could smell at least seven more people entering the living room.

"Relax, nothing's going to happen," Seth said reassuringly. "They're just going to ask you a few questions."

I nodded, taking a bite of the waffles. My eyes widened at the taste. I felt myself shiver. How could I have forgotten the pleasure of human food? I smiled eagerly, taking another big bite.

Of course, Seth did not take his eyes off me while I ate. I began to feel very uncomfortable. "So," I began, breaking the awkward silence, "how long do you think this is going to take?"

He became rigid at this question. "I… I'm not sure," he answered. "It might take a while, though. I mean, this is a pretty big deal."

I ate my waffles in less than a minute. Seth took my plate and fork away for me. Why was he being so polite? No, this wasn't politeness. This was servitude. Was I like a god to him or something? I stood up, but didn't walk anywhere. Should I go into the living room yet?

Seth walked over to the doorway and motioned for me to follow. I walked grudgingly out of the kitchen and into the sea of waiting wolves.


	2. Chapter 2

Interrogation

The small living room was packed. Like I had assumed, seven more people were squashed into the living room. I spotted Quil and Embry sitting casually on the couch. All of the newcomers were large, half-naked, russet colored boys. All but one seemed to still be in their teen years. Some of them stared at me with curiosity, but some stared at me distrustfully. I felt my stomach churn.

"This is the girl?" one of the newcomers asked. It was the one who actually was a man, though they all were big enough to be adults.

"Of course," I heard Quil answer sardonically.

I stared at the floor nervously. Their gazes made me feel uncomfortable. I just couldn't meet them. I suddenly felt extremely unsightly and unconfident. My clothes had tears in them, my feet were blackened, my hair had leaves and dirt in it, and I probably smelled. How had I become so unkempt? I probably looked more like a wild animal than a girl. Not to mention the scars trailing up my entire body. I'd been lucky enough to keep the vampire bites from my face, but that didn't make me any more attractive.

"Will everyone sit down? You're intimidating the girl!" Billy Black commanded.

Almost everyone took a seat on an open couch, but the man and another newcomer still stood where they were. I spotted Jacob leaning on the wall opposite of the man, and Leah standing by his side. Seth took my hand and guided me to the only open seats left. We both sat down. I stared anxiously at the new man.

"I guess we should start with simple questions," Billy Black began. "Where are you from, Natalia?"

I considered the answer I'd told Seth, but decided to give them specifics. "I used to live in Illinois, but I don't really have a home anymore."

"What happened to your home?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said softly. "I just left."

"May I ask why?"

I sighed. "It's… complicated."

Billy Black just nodded.

"Whatever you have to say, we can keep up," the man said forcefully.

"Sam, if she doesn't want to tell us–"

"No," I interrupted Billy Black. "I'll tell you." I stared at Sam with a firm gaze. I'd be sure to find out everything I could about these wolf-people as soon as I got the chance.

I took a deep breath before I began. This was a story I always thought about, but had never spoken aloud. It was difficult to even think about putting it into words. It hurt too much.

"I lived in Illinois for most of my childhood. Nothing was really wrong then. I had a good family, a lot of great friends. I got good grades in school and I never got in trouble. Everything was perfect for a long time."

The wolf-people listened to me intently, but I felt the most interest from Seth. He stared deeply into my eyes, as if wanting to see the story in them rather than hear it.

"But then a new family moved into the house next to mine," I continued. I felt myself shudder as I pictured the family. Their beautiful, pale faces, their perfect bodies, their sweet smells, their murky brown eyes. I felt myself begin to shake. How had I not noticed their strangeness? How had I not realized that they wore contacts?

"They always seemed off to me. No one really tried to get to know them. No one even cared, despite their good appearances. But, for some reason, I cared. There was something wrong about them, and I wanted to figure it out. A man and a woman, and their kid, who was in high school with my sister. I tried to get information from her, but she wasn't any help. She, like everyone else, avoided him. So I started watching their house every night, trying to figure something out, but they were hardly ever home."

I caught Seth staring at my broken hand. The swelling had gone down, but it was still bending in places it shouldn't. I watched him get up and walk to the kitchen.

"Go on," Sam said.

I sighed. "That's when kids started to disappear. People kept insisting they were just runaways, but I knew better. I had a feeling the family had something to do with it." I stared hard at the floor. "One night I got up the courage to sneak into their house. What I found scared the hell out of me."

"What'd you find?" one of the younger newcomers asked urgently.

"No beds. No food," I replied quietly. "One of their rooms was like a museum. Old historical artifacts and pictures everywhere. One of them depicted the family. It was black and white." Chills crept up my body as I remembered that night. It had been a fear like no other, a realization like no other.

I started to feel sick. I didn't want to say the next part. I didn't want to end up crying in front of these people. That was a sign of weakness, and I _wasn't _weak. But the wolf-people stared at me with unbreakable determination. It felt like they were squeezing the story out of me.

"I got out of there and hauled it to back to my house. When I made it through the door, my little brother was having a fight with my mom." I heard my voice crack. Weakness. I swallowed hard and continued. "She ended up slapping him, something she hardly ever did. He got really upset and ran off. I waited a little after he left to follow him.

"He went to a park we used to go to. It was his place to blow off steam. I was going to talk to him a little after he got settled there. Let him cool off until he was calm enough to speak with me." My voice cracked again.

_You should have talked to him sooner. You should have stopped him before it happened._

I shook the voice out of my head and cleared my throat. "He sat down on a swing, and I was about to join him when…" My eyes started to water. "They showed up."

The room was silent. I could hear Seth speaking in the kitchen. Was someone else there?

"The family?" Jacob asked, though it wasn't necessary.

I nodded, holding back the tears. "I… I tried to move. Tried to go and protect him. But my feet wouldn't go," I said, my hands and lips beginning to tremble. I watched Seth come back into the room. He stared at my expression and then raced to my side, grabbing my hand.

It was uncomfortable, but I was too into my breakdown to care. "The… The mother lunged at him before he could even see them," I whispered. "All I remember was shaking. And then… Next thing I knew, two of them were chopped to pieces on the floor, and… my brother…"

The room was silent again. I stared at the ceiling, trying to keep the tears from flowing.

"I'm so sorry, Natalia," I heard Billy Black say.

I just nodded.

"I apologize for my persistence," Sam said to me sincerely. "I should have realized this would be hard for you to say."

"It's all right," I replied. Everyone was quiet, so I went on. "I couldn't go back home after that. I didn't know what I was. I thought I might hurt people."

"Do you know what happened to the other vampire?" Leah asked.

I saw Seth glare at her, but I answered. "No, the son must have run off. I can't remember."

Jacob stood straighter. "Is that why you travel, then? You hunt vampires?"

I nodded. "I've been tracking and killing them since I left home."

"Whoa. How many vamps have you killed?" a wolf-boy asked. He seemed to be one of the youngest there, maybe fourteen.

"Collin!" Sam growled.

I smiled. "It's okay. Actually, over two hundred," I told him. A wide grin spread across his face.

I suddenly felt Seth stiffen at my side. "So, you don't like vampires much," he said.

I stared at him. What kind of comment was that? "Actually, I think it's deeper than that. It's more of a loathing," I told him. "They're sickening parasites. Why do you think I hunt them? It's not just some sport. It's my responsibility." I thought about that last statement. "_Our _responsibility, I should say," I amended.

Seth looked toward the door, and then at Billy Black. "Um… Billy. I sort of called the doctor."

I froze at the room's reaction. Billy Black's face was expressionless. The new wolf-people began to fidget in their seats. Leah's eyes widened. Jacob got up from against the wall. "You _what_?" Jacob snarled.

I jumped back in my seat. What was wrong? He had only called the doctor. What was the big deal?

"Well, her hand's broken. None of us know how to fix it right," Seth said.

"Seth!" Leah growled. "Were you not listening to her? Like she's going to let him touch her!"

"If she waits any longer, her hands going to be permanently deformed!"

"You could have called another doctor!" Jacob yelled.

"How would we explain the healing? Exactly," Seth hollered.

Billy Black sighed angrily. "Don't you think you should have asked me before inviting a Cullen here, Seth?"

"I didn't want to interrupt. And her hand's healing too fast; I had to call right away," he explained. "Besides, it's not like rules are being broken. The treaty's dead, Billy."

"That doesn't mean I want them at my house!" Billy replied, fuming. That was the first time the man had raised his voice. It frightened me.

"It's only Carlisle and Jasper. They'll be in and out."

"Two of them?" Leah cried.

Now I was completely confused. They were making no sense. What was so wrong with these people coming over to the house? Were they criminals or something?

"Well, yeah. One to help her and one to calm her down," Seth answered.

"This is just great! Nice work, bro," Leah roared.

I looked closely at the two of them. Was Leah just using the term as a reference to the pack relationship? Or were they actually related? They looked similar enough.

"I had to do something," Seth insisted.

"Uh, excuse me," I interrupted. This yelling and hostility was driving me crazy. "What's the problem with inviting a doctor over to fix my hand?"

The whole room stared at me. It was like there was some secret they weren't prepared to share with me. "Well… You see," Seth began.

That's when the doorbell rang. The wolf-people froze. Leah began to shake. Jacob stared at the door. They all remained still for a few moments. There was a hard knock. Seth stood up and walked over to the door. Leah growled and then raced out of the room. Jacob got up and wheeled Billy into the kitchen. Seth slowly opened the door.

"Hello, Seth," an alluring, male voice said.

"Hi, Carlisle. Hey, Jasper. Thanks for coming over," Seth answered.

I tried to peer past the door, but I couldn't see who was there from my position in the room. I took in a deep breath to get an idea of who they were. I froze in my seat.

The disgustingly sweet scent flowed into the room, making my heart stop. No… They couldn't be… I stared around at the wolf-people. They all stared at me anxiously. Jacob walked gradually back into the room.

The doctor stepped into the house, followed by another man. They were beautiful. They were pale. They were muscular. Their smell made me want to throw up.

They were vampires.

I leaped up onto the couch, letting a ferocious growl escape my mouth. My body shook compulsively. The vampires changed their attention to me, staring at me with wonder.

"Seth…" the one who'd spoken earlier murmured.

I growled again, but then stared around the room. Not one person in the room was shaking. Not one person in the room was surprised. Except for me.

"What are you all doing?" I hissed. "They're vampires!"

Seth turned toward me. "Yes, they are. Calm down, Natalia. Let us explain."

"Calm down? Are you people insane?"

Seth turned to the vampire who had not spoken yet. That vampire stared at me firmly with his butterscotch eyes. I felt myself stop shaking. I began to sink back into the couch. For a moment, I was relaxing. I became more curious than aggressive. What was going on? Why were these shape shifters consorting with vampires? And their eyes, I'd never seen vampires with that golden hue before. It was unsettling.

"These vampires aren't what you think," Seth told me.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I stood up from the couch.

Jacob pushed past Seth. "Why don't we go outside?" he said softly to the vampires. They both nodded and followed him out.

I felt my anger rise immediately. "What the hell's the matter with you? They're _vampires_!"

"Natalia, you're not listening," Embry said from the couch next to me. Leah suddenly walked back into the room.

"I don't have to! Why would I listen to freaks who invite vampires over to their houses like old friends? You people are psychos!" I glared at them all and headed toward the door. "Obviously I was wrong about you. We have nothing in common. I think I should leave."

"No!" Seth cried out.

I stared at him in incredulity. "No?"

"You… You can't leave."

"Okay, I don't know what the hell you're thinking, but I have _no _reason to stay here," I said, pushing past him toward the door. He grabbed my arm, his grip hurting me. "Let me go!" I yelled, tugging at my arm. He dropped it immediately. "Don't _ever _touch me again!"

I yanked open the door and flew out of the house. I saw the vampires a few yards ahead, speaking softly to Jacob. I breathed in the revolting scents and immediately felt the urge to run at them and rip out their throats. But I forced myself to walk past them. The others would probably catch me if I stayed any longer.

It was no use. My killer instincts took a hold of me. My feet wouldn't lead me toward the street. My body turned to the vampires, who were now staring at me.

Jacob sighed and raced toward the house.

Perfect. We were alone. I took a step over to the vampires.

"I would control yourself, child," one of the vampires said. It was the one who seemed to be the only one able to talk. "You don't want to do anything drastic."

My eyes widened. How dare he call me a child? How _dare _he tell me what to do? "Drastic?" I hollered.

"Yes. You don't want to do anything you'll regret later," he replied.

"Regret? Why would I regret killing _you_? A murderer? A disgusting parasite?"

"You don't understand," the leech told me.

I felt myself begin to shake. In a few seconds, I would have lunged at him. But Leah had burst out of the house.

"Where do you think _you're _going?"

There they went again! These people talked as if they owned me, as if I wasn't allowed to leave. "I'm going back to where I was _before _I met you psychopaths who hang out with vampires!" I roared.

"If you weren't so thick-headed, you would have listened to us! They're not normal vampires!" she cried, lowering her voice when she said vampires. What, did no one else know their dirty secret?

"They're all the same!" I yelled. "They're all twisted creatures that kill people! They're murderers!"

"If they're murderers, then why didn't they slaughter us when they got to the house? Why would we even call them over?"

People started to file out of the house, watching our huge scene. I barely even noticed. "Don't ask me! I don't know how your sick minds work!"

"You don't know us, Natalia. And you sure don't know them! How can you make all of these accusations if you don't even know who they are?"

"I know _what _they are. That's all I need to make accusations!"

One of the vampires stepped forward. "Natalia, my name is Carlisle Cullen. If you'd relax and listen for just a few minutes, I'm sure we'd be able to explain ourselves," he said, gesturing to the other male vampire.

I hissed at him. He used my name! "I don't need an explanation from you!"

"Please, just listen. I understand why you are judging us so quickly. But your hardships have nothing to do with us. My family and I are not like other vampires. We do not feed off humans."

I laughed at this. "Sure. I bet you like sitting down and enjoying burgers like everyone else."

"Quiet down, damn it!" Jacob yelled from the group of viewers. "You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood."

I glared at him. "Don't you _dare _tell me to quiet down!" I yelled. "I have every right to be loud."

"Natalia," Carlisle Cullen said. "How can we prove ourselves?"

"You can't," I replied.

"I'm a doctor. I work at a hospital out of the reservation. I treat human patients. Does that prove me?"

"No!"

"He's a damn doctor!" Leah yelled. "How does that not prove he's different?"

"Why do you think he works at a hospital?" I hollered. "He probably takes a few sips of his bleeding patients every now and then. You don't know! He probably brings bodies back for his coven to feed off of!" I turned to the group of wolf-people. "I bet you help him do it!"

"I'm sorry, but that is extremely unlikely," Carlisle Cullen said. "Jacob tells me you hunt vampires. Then you should know that when most vampires smell or taste blood, they can't stop themselves. I think someone would have noticed me leaning over a patient."

I pondered this, feeling myself relax. He did have a point. "Well, how would you resist the smell?" I asked, my voice a little lower.

"I am very old, and have had many years to work on my restraint. And we are not like normal vampires," he answered.

I stared at him and then at the wolf-people. "Okay, this is too much. Phony protectors and freak vampires… I think I've had enough." I looked back to Carlisle Cullen. "I won't kill you. I don't know whether to believe you or not, but it doesn't matter. I'm just going to leave." I turned away from them and began to walk toward the street.

"Oh, no you don't!" I heard Leah call out.

I twisted around. I vowed to attack the next person who said I couldn't leave. "I have no reason to stay here," I told her.

"No reason? Are you blind? Can't you see–"

But she was cut off by Seth. He pushed his way past her and stopped a few feet in front of me. "I think you should stay with us."

I stared at him in amazement. "And why is that?"

"Vampires can have abilities. You know that, right?" When I nodded, he continued. "Well, some of the Cullens are gifted. One of them, Alice, has visions. Earlier today she saw more vampires coming into the area. We don't know why they're suddenly interested in hunting here, but they are. And I think you could help us track them down before they feed, and maybe question a few. You seemed very experienced."

I smirked at his sweet-talk. "What's in it for me?"

"A few kills. More information on vampires, things you should learn about. And probably a few tips on where these vampires are coming from."

I thought about this. As much as I wanted to leave this nuthouse, the offer was pleasing. I would get the chance to hunt more vampires. And I would be able to find out more about what I was if I stayed with them. It seemed like another win-win situation to me. And besides, after I was done with them, I could go on hunting with the information I'd gathered. I decided I wouldn't stay long. Just for a few satisfying kills. That should be enough for them.

I stared at the wolf-people standing anxiously in front of the house. Then at the strange vampires, waiting for a response.

"Okay, but only if I can leave whenever I want." I had the idea that these people were going to attempt to force me to stay.

Seth just nodded. "Can we go inside and fix that hand now?"

An involuntary shudder ran through me. And let that vampire touch me? But as I glanced down at my hand, I knew it needed help. Like he had said earlier, it would be permanently deformed if I waited any longer. I reluctantly nodded.

The wolf-people began to walk back into the house. I followed Seth into the home only after the vampires had entered it. I wasn't about to turn my back on them. Not yet.

Everyone had divided themselves and kept to different rooms in the house. I heard people in the kitchen and loud footsteps upstairs. Carlisle Cullen and the other vampire, who I now remembered was named Jasper, sat comfortably on a couch. Jacob sat on another. Seth led me to the couch where the vampires sat. I stared at him, wondering to myself if he actually thought I would sit next to them.

"If you'd please take a seat, Natalia," Carlisle said to me.

I stared at him coldly. "Try anything, and I'll defend myself."

"Of course," Carlisle replied, but there was a hint of a smile on his face.

I grudgingly sat on the arm of the sofa, as far away from the doctor as possible. I hadn't noticed how sickening the smell was until now. My nose burned severely. I began to breathe out of my mouth.

"Is it all right if I see your hand?" he asked kindly.

I nodded and held out my malformed hand.

He gently placed his hand under my wrist and pulled my hand closer to eyelevel. A violent emotion crept over me. The touch of a vampire was not something that should be allowed. I should be attacking. Killing. But then the urges were being swept away by a sea of calm. I almost forgot a vampire was touching me. I stared curiously into his butterscotch eyes. They were so strange.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" I blurted out, unable to control my curiosity.

He smiled. "Like we told you, we don't feed off humans. We survive off animal blood. That causes the color change in our eyes."

I frowned. Was this proof that what they were claiming was true? I wasn't sure. It could be a trick.

"And all of your coven is like this?" I asked.

He nodded. "Every one of us." He sighed. "Your hand healed too quickly. The bone placing is incorrect. I'm going to have to break your hand again and set the bones in the right place."

I controlled my face, but a chill ran through me. Break my hand, again? But the fear only lasted for a moment. It just suddenly disappeared. It was odd.

"This may hurt. If you can't handle it–"

"I can handle anything. Go," I interrupted. There was no way he was going to think I was fragile. I was anything but fragile.

He nodded and then gripped my hand. I kept my eyes on him and braced myself for the snap. When it came, it hurt like hell. But I forced my features to remain calm. I held in my scream. You're not weak, I told myself. I felt Carlisle twisting my hand, adjusting my bones. It was very painful, but I didn't shed a tear. No cry escaped from my lips. I was stronger than that.

The process took only a short moment. He then began to wrap up my hand in the gauze he'd brought in a small leather bag. "This is to assure the bones stay in place." He let go of me as soon as he was done.

I stared down at my now straight hand. "Thanks," I muttered unwillingly.

The doctor smiled at me and then turned to Jasper. "It's time we leave." They both stood up. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Natalia. We have a good story to tell when we get home." Seth walked them to the door.

Jasper whispered something to Carlisle. I stared at him in surprise. I'd begun to think he was mute.

"Oh, Natalia?" Carlisle asked before leaving the house.

"Yeah?"

"I think you should stop by our home sometime. We still feel that we haven't explained ourselves clearly enough. It seems necessary for you to know who we truly are, now that you are staying in the area."

I just stared at him. Go to a house full of vampires? I held back my chuckle and rude retort. "I don't know, Doc. I think we should take one step at a time," I said from the couch.

He nodded. "Well, as long as you consider the offer. Goodbye, Seth."

"Bye, Carlisle. Jasper. Thank you."

And the vampires left. I felt numb. I had just let a vampire touch me, without killing it. What had happened to me? Was I even _me _anymore?

Billy Black wheeled himself into the room. He gave Seth a we-are-going-to-have-a-talk-later look and then turned to me. "Natalia, you're welcome to stay here. Or would you prefer to sleep elsewhere? I don't know if you're more accustomed to sleeping outside."

I wondered if I should accept the proposal. I didn't want to impose, but the thought of sleeping under a roof, in a clean bed, was too wonderful to turn down. "Here's perfect. Thank you, Mr. Black."

Billy Black laughed. "Oh, please, call me Billy. I don't need to draw any more attention to my age."

I smiled. "Sorry, Billy."

Billy Black nodded. He wheeled himself over to the corner of the room where his book was. "Why don't you show her to a room, Seth? Rebecca's will be fine."

"Um, Billy, is it all right if I use your shower? As you can see, I'm not exactly clean."

"Of course," Billy replied.

"Thank you. Goodnight."

Seth led me past the kitchen to a staircase. We walked upstairs and stopped at the first door on the right. "That's the room you'll be staying in," Seth explained. "And that's the bathroom," he finished, pointing to the room next to it.

"Thank you."

"Yeah. Well, it's pretty late. I think I'm going to be heading home. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure. I don't really have anywhere else to be," I told him.

He smiled. "All right. Well, goodnight. And thanks for giving us a chance." He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before moving past me and heading down the stairs.

I quickly opened the door that led to my new room. There was a bed, a dresser, a television, and a window. That was pretty much everything positive about the room. The main reason I disliked everything else: it was covered in pink. I sighed as I walked over to the dress to look myself over.

I was covered in grim. My brown, wavy hair was a leaf-filled haystack. My dark eyes were a little red from crying. My full lips had some leftover blood from the vampire fight. My light skin was stained with dirt, along with my torn clothing. I was a complete mess. I almost gagged, just looking at myself. I quickly turned away from the mirror and rushed to the bathroom. I was exhausted, and although I was going to have a good amount of time for baths, I knew I had to clean myself. Now.

Say goodbye leaves, I thought as I pulled a small leaf out of my hair. This was going to be an interesting shower.


	3. Chapter 3

Secrets

I tossed over to my left side, throwing the blanket off my shoulders. They needed more air conditioning in this room. Wait… Blanket? Air conditioning? My eyes shot open and scanned the ridiculously pink bedroom. Yesterday had really happened. I played the crazy night over in my head. Wolf-people… Vampires who weren't really vampires… It all seemed like a long, absurd nightmare. I shuddered as it slowly formed into a reality.

I threw the blanket off me and slipped slowly out of bed. A small alarm clock on the nightstand nearby read _2:00PM_. Why hadn't I woken up earlier? Usually I'd come around early in the morning. But then I realized that yesterday had been the most amazing sleep I'd had in a very long time.

I was about to leave the room when I spotted a pair of shorts sticking out from under my blanket. I looked down at my bare body and remembered. Lifting the blanket away from the outfit, I sighed. A dark red tank top, bra and underwear, pair of socks, sneakers, and a small post-it note.

Recently washed. Thought you needed a clean outfit.

I barely even knew these people and they were already supplying a place to sleep _and _clothes? Talk about overbearing. However, whoever had left the note was right. I did need a clean outfit. So I pulled on the new clothes. It took me a few seconds to remember how to strap a bra and how to tie shoelaces. But once I was past those obstacles, I looked pretty decent. I combed through my hair and then quietly stepped out of my room and down the stairs.

I found Billy Black sitting in front of the table in the kitchen, a newspaper in his hands.

"Good morning, Billy," I said, entering the kitchen.

Billy started, obviously not expecting the sudden voice or entrance. "Oh! Forgive me; I forgot how quiet you can be."

I didn't understand this comment, but I nodded anyway.

"Go ahead and take what you'd like from the fridge. I made some coffee, if you want some." He took a sip from his mug, eyeing me curiously. I assumed he was surprised at how different I looked clean.

"Thank you," I replied, rushing to the freezer and taking out the box of waffles. I sat down across from Billy as soon as the waffles were done. This was a perfect opportunity for me to get some questions answered. But I had to ease into them and tread carefully. "So, where is everyone?"

"It's Tuesday. The kids are at school."

"Oh," I said quietly. I'd forgotten all about school. What had it been, two or three years since I had entered a classroom? I couldn't remember. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I asked. I would have thought someone would come and ask me to help Billy around the house. If I was going to be living here for a little while, wouldn't I need to pull my own weight?

"Seth thought you should get a good night's sleep," he answered, putting down the paper. "I agree. You couldn't have been able to sleep very well outside for the past few years."

I shrugged, hiding my annoyance. Ugh, that Seth kid again. He was really starting to creep me out.

"I got to thinking yesterday," Billy began, "and I thought it would be a good idea if you went to school here. If a random kid is walking around the reservation, people will get to talking. I don't need anyone on my back at the moment, and if you went to school, it might stop some of the rumors." He took another sip of his coffee.

School? I hadn't been to school since… since eighth grade. What was I supposed to be now? A junior? I shuddered. I'd look like a complete idiot. "I don't know, Billy. I haven't been to school in awhile. And, won't I look out of place anyway? I mean, I don't really look like a person who should live here." I thought I should remind him about my light skin. There was no way I would fit in with the people at the reservation. "Besides, I won't be here for long."

"One, I'm sure with a little help, you'll do fine in school. And two, you don't need to fit in, really. You just need to belong to a group. Stick around the pack, and the people here will get the message."

I noticed, with annoyance, that he didn't touch on my last statement. Here they went again.

"It's going to work out well for you. Trust me," he said, lifting his newspaper back to his gaze. "I'll work on your registration."

Well, no point in arguing. That would only get him upset, and I needed him nice and buttered up before I began questioning him.

"So, Billy," I began, taking my empty plate to the garbage. "How many shifters live in the reservation?"

I heard him put the newspaper down again. "Sixteen. But they're split into two packs."

"Two? Jacob's a pack leader," I said, returning to my seat. "And you are too?"

Billy turned crimson. "Oh, no, I'm not a shape shifter. The gene skipped my generation. My father was one, and my son is one."

Well, that gave me two pieces of information. And bonus points in Billy's good books. A little flattery could go a long way. So, I knew that this curse was actually a gene. I didn't know who I got it from, though. My grandparents were nothing spectacular. Maybe it was only a wolf gene for these specific people. Maybe my curse was something completely different. And now I also knew the second pack leader. "So, Sam's the other pack leader, then, right?"

Billy nodded.

"I was curious. How old are the youngest shifters here?" I needed to see if it was normal for them to start shifting at the age I had been my first transformation.

"They're around fourteen. They first started to change at thirteen. A little early, but not really uncommon."

I felt relief flow through me. Okay, I wasn't abnormal… Well, to them, at least.

"That's the age I first shifted," I told him. All right, now I wanted to make some more comparisons. "So, do you think you could tell me a little bit about everyone? I know I'm different in some ways, but I just wanted to see what similarities we have."

"Well, they change into wolves. I was surprised to find out you change into a wildcat."

I nodded. He sipped his coffee. I forced myself to relax and be patient.

"They also have the tendency to change when they get angry, upset, or riled up, unless they can control themselves."

"Yeah, that happens with me too," I said.

Billy gave a nod. "When they are in their wolf forms, they can communicate with each other. The wolves inside a pack can also hear each others' thoughts."

Hear each others' thoughts? And communicate with each other? Would I be able to do that with them? I hadn't exactly tried.

"They heal very quickly, like you. They're temperatures run extremely high. They have a pretty good amount of strength and speed."

I couldn't help but laugh at the speed part. Billy stared curiously at me. "I'm sorry, it's just… They move pretty slowly to me," I replied. "But they _are _stronger than me," I admitted after seeing an offended look in his eyes.

"They also hunt vampires," Billy continued. "Most vampires, I mean."

I quickly got out of my seat. I'd had enough of the conversation. "Um, Billy, I know I barely know you and all, but I was wondering if maybe you could lend me some money for clothes and stuff. I can work it off…"

Billy had been a little startled at my sudden movement, but he quickly reached into his pocket. "Don't worry about it. I'd be glad to help. Will thirty bucks be enough?"

Wow, that was a little too much. "I can't take _all _that money, Billy."

"It's no problem; really. Would you like me to show you to the store?" he asked, handing me three bills.

"No, I think I'll be able to find it myself."

"Are you sure? You might get lost–"

"I'll be fine, Billy," I pressed. I definitely needed some alone time.

He just nodded and then lifted his newspaper. "Well, it is close by. I'm sure you'll be all right by yourself."

I returned his nod and walked out of the kitchen. Though I'd been aggravated at the end of our conversation, Billy had supplied me a lot of information and a lot of cash. I felt the need to do something for him. I quickly raced upstairs. Maybe I could pick up my new room a little bit.

I made the bed and threw my dirty clothes into a small garbage bin in a corner of the room. That took about five seconds. Definitely not enough. I left the room and walked downstairs. I wandered down a narrow hallway and opened the first door I could find.

It was a pretty plain bedroom. There was hardly anything inside of it. A double bed took up almost all of the room, except for a corner that was occupied by a nightstand. I walked inside and made the bed. I saw a few pictures sitting on the nightstand, so I wandered over to it to get a better look.

One of the pictures seemed to be a family one. I saw Billy and Jacob huddled closely together with two other people, who I assumed where Billy's daughters. They seemed very happy. I smiled at the picture. I had forgotten how good having a family was.

The next picture was of Jacob and the most beautiful baby girl I'd ever seen. She was extremely pale and had beautiful chocolate eyes and bronze curls. She looked to be at least two or three years old. I couldn't help but break into a grin. The girl was smiling blissfully with Jacob kneeling down next to her. He looked like the happiest person alive in this picture. I hadn't seen him like this yet.

And the last picture made my heart stop. Jacob was standing, with a wide grin on his face, next to a vampire. The vampire had her arm around Jacob's side and was smiling just as brightly as he was.

The picture made my head spin. I raced out of the room as fast as I could. These people _were _crazy! I could accept their strange alliance with the vampires. I could accept their hospitality. But taking pictures with them? Swinging their arms around each other like best buds? I felt nauseated. I needed fresh air.

I had run out of the house and down the street before I warned myself to relax. I was in broad daylight, in a public neighborhood. If people caught me moving so fast… I slowed myself down. There were a lot of different things to consider. But for some reason, all my brain would allow me to process was the fact that I was staying with a bunch of leech lovers. I wanted to barf. What had happened to me? Had all of my morals just disappeared?

I found the shopping center easily. It was only a few blocks away from where Billy lived. They had a fairly small clothing store, so I found a pack of underwear and a couple of decent bras easily. I stopped by the supermarket and bought a few missed foods: chocolate bars and ice cream. After I left the store with my things, I took the walk back to Billy's as slowly as possible. I didn't know if I was completely prepared to sit down with any of the wolf-people just yet.

I was almost to Billy's house when I noticed someone walking down the same sidewalk. He looked up at me slowly and gave me a very strange look. Uh oh; I knew this boy. I immediately shot my head down. Would he recognize me with clean clothes and smooth hair? Would he recognize me with sneakers? Would he recognize me as a human being?

Mark stared at me inquisitively, but I rushed past him before he could say anything. Hopefully he hadn't remembered me. Well, of course he must have remembered me. But maybe I looked completely different. There were some pretty big changes in my appearance. I sighed. I'd find out later. After all, I was going to school now. There was no doubt I'd run into him there.

I sped the rest of the way to Billy's house. By that time, Mark was out of my head and the leech lovers were back in. I had a few choice words to say to Jacob. I walked into the house without knocking and shut the door behind me. I didn't really care if I was being rude. I lived here, right?

The living room wasn't as packed as it had been last night, but it was still pretty full. Jacob, Leah, and Seth sat on one couch. Quil and Embry sat on another. Two other boys leaned against a wall. They had been there last night. They seemed to be some of the youngest of the group.

Everyone's eyes widened as I turned to face them. Jacob's stare was simply confused. Seth and the other boys had a look of astonishment in their eyes. Leah's stare was full of revulsion.

"Seth…" Leah said to him, still glaring at me.

"Leah, relax," Seth told her, standing up. "Hi, Natalia."

"Relax? She's wearing my clothes!" Leah growled.

Great. I should have realized when Billy had stared at me earlier that he'd had no clue where I'd gotten the clothes. And of course, only this strange boy would feel it was necessary to provide me a new outfit. But why did he have to take the clothes from his sister? She hated me enough already.

"Well, she couldn't just go walking around in rags!" Seth cried, turning to face his sister.

"She's _been _doing it!" Leah snarled. "Look, I don't care if you buy her new clothes, or even if you steal clothes from someone else. But don't you _dare _give her _my _clothes!" Leah's body began to quiver.

"Leah," Jacob interrupted, "it's just one outfit. You don't even wear those sneakers anyway."

"That doesn't mean he can go sneaking around and stealing things from me! I don't give a damn if he–"

"Leah!" Seth roared.

I jumped back. I'd never heard him yell like that. He didn't seem like the type of person to scream, anyway. This boy was seriously starting to weird me out.

Leah glared at her brother one last time before rushing out of the house. I stared around the room awkwardly. Jacob had his head leaned back in the sofa. Most of the boys were staring at Seth, who was, of course, staring at me. One of the youngest boys was still gawking at me the way he had when I'd first come in.

"I… I'll give her back the clothes," I said. "I didn't know…"

"No," Seth told me. "She just overreacted. Don't worry about her; keep the clothes."

I nodded. Jacob stood up and walked past me. "I'll go talk to her," he sighed, leaving the house.

I swung my grocery bags around nervously. I turned away from the group to head upstairs, but Seth rushed to stop me.

"I'll take these upstairs for you," he said, grabbing the bag. "Sit."

I wanted to protest, but he was already walking upstairs before I could say anything. I reluctantly took a seat on the empty couch.

"So," Quil began, "how was your day?"

I stared at him. That was his best conversation starter? "Weird," I admitted. There was a question bubbling inside of me, and I felt the urge to spit it out. "Is Seth usually… this polite?" I asked. "I mean, he acts like I can't even walk without help."

Quil grinned, but Embry stealthily elbowed him in the side. "Yeah, he's a pretty nice guy," Embry told me. "He's glad you stayed, so he's been wanting to keep you comfortable."

Keep me comfortable? He was doing a pretty bad job at it. Right now, I was just freaked out and annoyed. I'd try to give him a hint to tone it down a bit.

One of the young boys leaning against the wall took a seat by my side. "Hi, I'm Collin. I can be a pretty nice guy, too," he said, holding out his hand.

"God, Collin!" the other boy exclaimed. "Watch yourself."

Collin smirked at the boy. "What? There aren't any dibs _yet_."

I shook his hand and discreetly scooted closer to my end of the couch. He was being a little too friendly, and I had enough of that already.

The other boy shook his head. "I'm Brady," he told me.

I just nodded to him. "And Quil and Embry," I said to the others as soon as Quil had opened his mouth.

"Observant," Quil grinned. "I like that."

Seth came back down the stairs and stopped next to the sofa. He gave Collin a hard look.

"We were just asking Natalia about her day," Collin told him, moving closer to me and patting the seat on the other side. A wide smile was plastered on his face. "Weird, you said?" he asked, turning to me.

Seth sat next to Collin with a controlled look on his face. But as much as he tried to hide it, I could tell he was furious. What, could other people not sit next to me? _He _was the only one allowed to?

"Uh, yeah," I began. "I went to get a few things from the store, and on the way back I saw that kid, Mark."

Quil straightened up in his seat. "Did he say anything to you?"

"I walked by too fast for him to," I replied.

"Maybe he didn't recognize you. You do look different today," Collin told me. "You had a bunch of leaves in your hair yesterday." He raised his hand to examine a lock of my dark hair.

"Collin, can I see you outside?" Seth asked, standing up.

"Why? I'm pretty comfortable here," he answered, gazing happily at me. But then Seth grabbed his arm and yanked him off the sofa. Seth dragged the boy out of the house.

I stared at the other people in the room in confusion.

"Again, Seth wants you to feel comfortable here," Embry said quickly. "Collin was getting a little touchy."

In truth, I preferred touchy rather than freaky. "I didn't really mind," I told him. "Well, I kind of did, but I wasn't completely uncomfortable. No reason to overreact about it."

Embry nodded, but didn't say anything else. It was silent for a while, until we heard a loud bang against the side of the house. Embry shot out of his seat and walked to the door. "I'll check on them," he muttered.

He closed the door, but I could hear them yelling outside. "You said you wanted to be inconspicuous!" I heard Embry holler. "Slamming Collin's head against the wall for just touching her is _not _inconspicuous!"

"So, what did you buy at the store?" Quil asked loudly.

"Just some clothes," I murmured, not really wanting to discuss the undergarments I bought with him. Everyone seemed to be doing a terrible job of making me feel at home here.

"It's not _my _fault you don't want to tell her!" I heard Collin yell from outside.

I turned to the door, and then to Quil. "Tell me what?"

Quil looked at Brady, who stared at him for all of a second before hurrying to the kitchen. "Well, you see–"

The door swung open and Leah stepped inside. Jacob must have calmed her down. "Why is my brother biting Collin's head off?"

Quil looked at Leah, and then at me. "Collin was being a little too friendly."

"Figures," Leah grumbled, walking back out of the house. Quil got up, mumbling something about having to help, and then followed her outside.

I glared around the now empty living area. Well, I sure knew how to clear a room. I glowered at the door, got up from the couch, and ran upstairs to my room. These people were so bizarre! I started to wish they would just act like Leah. If they had something to say, they should just come out and say it. This place was already majorly screwed up. I doubted whatever secret they had could make it worse.

My grocery bag was lying on top of the dresser. I took the contents out and placed them inside the first empty drawer I could find. I sighed and stared at my alarm clock. It was almost four. I flung my shoes off and leaped into my bed. Maybe I just needed to think everything over. Maybe all I needed was a nap. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.

I felt someone nudging my side. I turned over in the bed to see Jacob's black eyes staring down at me. "Dinner's ready."

I yawned. "What are we having?" I inquired.

"Spaghetti," he replied.

I sighed. I'd never really enjoyed spaghetti. "I think I'll just have waffles," I told him, sitting up.

"Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I am." I flung the cover off me and stood up. "Is it just you and Billy tonight?"

"No, Leah and Seth are here with their mom and Charlie," Jacob said, leaving the room.

I was too focused on the words _Leah and Seth _to ask who Charlie was. I didn't really like either of them much. Leah was just plain mean, and Seth was a little _too _nice. They were exact opposites, but either way, they both scared me.

I walked downstairs and watched Jacob head outside. Is that where we were eating? I decided to make my waffles and then meet everyone in the yard.

I brought my waffles outside as soon as they were done. Billy had collected a bunch of lawn chairs and everyone was eating bowls of spaghetti from their laps. They all had bright smiles on their faces. Even the edges of my lips curled upward. It was nice to see a group of people so happy together.

I spotted the only empty chair and walked over to it. Of course, it was next to Seth. Had they arranged it like that?"

"Hey. How was the nap?" Seth asked me through a mouthful of spaghetti.

I looked away from him as I sat down. How had he known I'd taken a nap? He had left the room before I had even gone upstairs. No, I told myself, stop scaring yourself. Jacob had probably told them all I was asleep before he'd left to wake me up. It wasn't like Seth was watching me or something.

"It was fine," I said, while trying to shake the image of Seth standing over me while I slept out of my mind.

"Good; you needed it. You've probably had a bad day."

I turned to him questioningly.

"With Leah and Collin and all," he told me.

I just nodded. And you, I thought. And Mark. And Jacob, with his friend bloodsuckers.

"Why aren't you eating spaghetti?" he questioned.

"I'm kind of tired of meat right now," I said, staring at the meatballs in his bowl. "And I've been in the mood for waffles." I cut off a piece of waffle and dipped it into the syrup.

"You really like them, don't you?"

"Yeah. I used to eat them all the time." I shoved the piece hungrily into my mouth.

"So, I was at the Cullens' house earlier."

My body instantly stiffened. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I needed to calm down, and Jasper's pretty good with emotions," he replied, digging into his spaghetti.

There was something behind that. I went through my thoughts of the vampire, and remembered feeling unnaturally relaxed around him. Of course! He was gifted! I frowned. I despised vampires with gifts. As if they weren't strange enough. "He controls your feelings?" I asked Seth. I began to feel angry. Who told him he could control how I felt? That was anything but fair.

"Well, yes, but not in the way you make it sound. He can… sense the feelings in a room, and make them change. If someone's upset, he can make them feel a little happier. If someone's angry, he can calm them down."

I nodded, but I was still a little put off. "And the other one you mentioned, the one who sees things?"

"Alice. She has visions. But they're always changing. She can only see the future course someone is on while they've decided it. If they change their minds, the future changes."

"So I guess she saw me coming," I said, trying to sound casual. But I definitely didn't like another one of the parasites using their power against me.

"No, actually. Alice can't see people like us. She only has visions about vampires and humans," he told me.

I couldn't help my grin. That was great. She didn't have an unfair advantage, then. "So, tell me more about these Cullens," I said. I wanted to know as much as possible before I decided to accept Carlisle Cullen's invitation to his nest… I mean, home.

"Well, there's Carlisle, who you met yesterday. I guess you could say he's the coven leader. He created most of the vampires in the family. He's a really great guy, very… compassionate. And disciplined. He lived on his own for a really long time, ended up a vegetarian."

"Vegetarian?" I questioned.

Seth smiled. "It's a joke. That's what they call themselves, since they don't hunt humans."

"They hunt animals," I stated, still only half believing it.

Seth nodded. "It's enough to keep them strong, he says."

But not enough to satisfy them, I thought. Leeches...

"Anyway, he became a doctor after he was strong enough to resist blood. He wanted to help the world, make up for what he was. He found Edward in a hospital around a hundred and ten years ago, dying."

"Edward?"

"Yeah, he's the second to join the family. Carlisle changed him before he could die. Edward's as great as Carlisle. Very understanding and open. We became friends after a pretty big battle; he's why I got so close to the Cullens. But anyway, Edward can hear people's thoughts. It's pretty cool."

I shuddered. Great, the bloodsucker could read minds. That was the most unfair advantage I had ever heard of.

"Well, after Edward joined, Carlisle found Esme. She's like the mom of the group, really sweet and nurturing. And she's an _amazing _cook. She makes the _best _Italian food on the planet."

Cook? Since when did vampires cook?

"Then Rosalie came in. She's, uh… a little standoffish. I don't think she's begun to trust us completely just yet, even though we've known them for so long. But I guess we can't blame her. Some of the pack isn't open to them yet, either."

I wonder why, I thought sardonically.

"But yeah, Rosalie became a vampire after a fatal incident, and she joined their coven. After a while, she found Emmett; he'd been attacked by a bear. So she brought him back for Carlisle to change. Those two are together now."

I nodded, beginning to feel a little surprised. This vampire coven was starting to get really big. The biggest group I'd ever come across wasn't too much bigger than what Seth was describing.

"Then Alice showed up out of nowhere with her mate, Jasper, due to her visions. She saw her and Jasper together and in Carlisle's family. Those two are the only ones in the group who were changed before they met the coven."

I placed my cleaned plate on the floor. I'd pick it up before we went back inside.

"And then there's Bella. Her story is really long and confusing, so I won't go into it, but she joined the family after she fell in love with Edward."

Wait, _after _she fell in love with the leech? "What?"

Seth grinned. "I told you it was confusing. Yeah, she met him when she was human, they fell in love, and now she's a vampire."

I frowned. How could someone be stupid enough to fall in love with a vampire?

"Oh, and last but not least, Renesmee. She's Edward and Bella's daughter."

I stared at him in bewilderment. "How could they have a daughter?" I demanded. Female vampires couldn't get pregnant. Their bodies wouldn't be able to change to hold a child. I knew enough about vampires to be certain of that.

"Renesmee's only half vampire," Seth explained.

My body froze. My mind drifted back to the picture in Jacob's bedroom. Him and the baby girl… I hadn't noticed how pale her skin was…

I felt like retching. "They… How… That's not possible…"

"Well, they were in love," Seth said.

I got up from my chair, my hands trembling and my mind hazy. The vampire had taken an innocent human girl to bed. That was unheard of; it was repulsive. Was this a new phase vampires were going through? Fool around with your prey before you eat it?

I hadn't noticed Seth stand up as well. He was staring anxiously at me. "Are you okay? Did I upset you?"

I stared at him in disbelief. Would this kid ever stop with his unnatural kindness? "_You _didn't. What you said did!"

"What, about Edward and Bella?"

"Yes! How can you talk about that like it's nothing?"

"They were married, Natalia," Seth said, staring at me with hard eyes. "Married and in love."

"Married?" I cried. "She was married to it?"

"Bella was fully aware of what he was. There was nothing wrong about it."

"What are you talking about? _Everything's_ wrong about it!"

The people around us suddenly grew silent. Someone coughed. "What's this about Bella?" I heard a male voice ask. I turned around to look at the man seated next to Billy. He must have been Charlie. His dark curls reminded me of someone… The baby girl. This was her grandfather.

My gaze turned to Seth. "Does he know?"

Seth's eyes widened. I looked back to Charlie, who stared at me for a few seconds and then turned away. "I don't need to know," he muttered, as if it was a rehearsed chant.

"He knows enough," I heard Jacob say. I turned around to face the leech lover. He was standing up from his chair.

"Enough? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him.

"Maybe it means he doesn't _want _to know everything," Jacob told me angrily. "Maybe it means he _shouldn't _know everything."

I began to shake. "What's with all this secrecy? It's not like it's something you can just keep from him! It's his daughter!"

"Charlie, let's go inside," I heard a woman say. It must have been Seth and Leah's mother. "I ran out of soda."

"Sure thing, Sue," Charlie said, getting up with her and rushing into the house. Billy quickly followed suit.

"Maybe Bella doesn't _want _Charlie to know she's a vampire! Did you think about how that might frighten Charlie?"

"Better frightened than lied to!" I screamed, glaring at him.

Jacob's mouth clamped shut. Something I had said made him withdraw.

"I don't know why you people are even getting mixed up in this," I told the remaining group. "They're a bunch of parasites! I don't understand why you're friends with them."

Leah rose from her seat. "They are _not _parasites! We've told you a thousand times that they're different!"

I turned to say something, but she continued, approaching me.

"These are actual _people _we're talking about. I don't care how long you've played your little game of hunting. I don't care about what you _think _you know about vampires. You know why? Because you're wrong! The Cullens are different. They're nice people who haven't done harm to anyone! So stop calling them parasites! Stop calling them leeches! Because you're wrong!"

My stomach burned with fury. These people had completely deluded themselves. Vampires were all the same. They were all killers. Monsters. And these wolf-people were defending them. My body kicked into hunter mode at the exact time Leah's did.

"Guys, calm down," Jacob warned.

"Don't tell _me _to calm down," I snarled. "Tell your leech lover friend here to!"

That had done it. Leah's face tightened in outrage. "One, I'm anything _but _a leech lover," she growled at me. "And two, they are not leeches!"

Her body shook with pure rage, until finally she leaped at me. I watched her change and ducked out of her way. My change came as soon as she had reached the ground. She turned to me with infuriated eyes. She dug her heavy paws into the ground and howled. I felt my tail swish madly behind me. We circled each other.

"Are you guys _insane_?" Jacob cried. "We're in view of the entire neighborhood!"

Leah growled at Jacob. She didn't care, and neither did I.

I hissed angrily as soon as Seth took a step in between us. "Leah," he said, facing his sister, "calm down."

Leah froze.

"You tried to explain everything to her. That's all you can do. You know if someone comes outside right now, they'll have an aneurism. Change back."

Leah's eyes were furious, but she stood still and morphed back anyway. "You're lucky my brother tolerates you," Leah said, her gaze burning into me. "Because if it were up to me, you'd be out on the street, where you belong." And she strode angrily into the house.

"Cover up, Leah!" Jacob warned her before she had left.

Seth turned to me. "I think you need some alone time. I know this is difficult to understand, but it's all true. They're not the monsters who killed your brother, Natalia. You need to realize that." He sighed. "Come on, Jake." He began walking over to the house. Jacob followed him in.

I stared at the door in outrage and then looked at the floor. My clothes were torn to shreds. Just great. I prayed to God that no one would see me and then I ran down the driveway. I barely remembered which way the forest was, but I recalled enough to find it after a few minutes.

I needed to clear my head. I needed to relax. I needed to lose myself. I needed to hunt. I stepped into the forest and followed the first deer scent I could find.


End file.
